Electric-circuit controller.



No. 645,!03. I Patented Mar. l3, I900.

. B. N. JONES.

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

(Application filed July 21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

' WITNESSES: INVENTOR AT ORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT Quince.

BENJAMIN N. JONES, OF ORANGE, NEWV JERSEY.

ELECTRIC-CIRCUIT CCNTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,103, dated March13, 1900.

Application filed July 21,1899. Serial No. 724 605- (IIO model!) To aZZwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN N. JONES, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Orange, in the county of Essex, State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric-Circuit Controllers, of which the following is aspecification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part hereof.

This invention has for its object to provide improved means or devicesfor controlling an electric circuit from a more or less distant point.In the use of electric motors, for example, it is often desirable as amatter of con venience or for some other reason to dispose in closeproximityto the motor the resistancecoils and the mechanical devices forthrowing into the circuit of the motor more or less of the resistancewhile the operator is at a remote point and yet must be able to Vary theresistance at will, increasing or decreasing the amount of theresistance or maintaining it at a given point for a period of time andthereafter increasing or diminishing it.

The present improvements are designed with especial reference toenabling the distant operator to control the circuit absolutely atalltimes, varying it in one way or the other at will or maintainingit atwill ina given condition.

The invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which for purposes of explanation it isrepresented as embodied in a convenient and practical form.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of such a form of theelectromechanical devices employed, and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic viewrepresenting the electric circuit to be controlled and the electricalconnections of the electromechanical devices represented in Fig. 1.

The electric circuit to be controlled is represented by the heavy line ain Fig. 2, the field-coils l) and the armature c of an electric motorbeing indicated as included therein. For the purpose of controlling themotor provision is made for including in the circuit more or lessresistance cl, which is indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2, while thecontact points or blocks are represented graphically at d in Fig. 1. Theresistance is connected to the circuit at one end, as usual, whileparallel therewith or with the series of contact points or blocks isacontact-strip e, also connected, as usual, to the circuit. A movablecontact f is arranged to sweep over the contact-strip and the series ofcontact points or blocks, thereby completing the circuit and includin gtherein more or less of the resistance, as may be desired. The movablecontact is carried by or forms a part of an arm g,which is pivoted, asindicated in the drawings, upon a horizontal axis and is arranged to bemoved in one direction by electromechanical devices, as hereinafterdescribed, and in the other direction by the influence of gravity. Inthe arrangement represented in the drawings the contact-arm is connectedby a link g with the core h of a solenoid 2', through the coils of whichcurrent can be directed by the operator in some such manner as referredto hereinafter. For the purpose of holding the contact-arm in anyposition to which it may have been moved at the will of the operator anelectromechanical brake is provided, also under control of the operatorfrom a distant point.

Any suitable form of brake may be employed. As represented in Fig. 1,however, brake-levers 73 k are arranged to bear upon a drum or hub 9secured to the arm g, concentric with its pivot, the arms being normallypressed upon the hub by springs so that the arm is retained in theposition to which it is moved unless the brake is released. As alsoshown in Fig. 1, toggle levers 70 are interposed between the free endsof the brake-levers 7c and are connected to the core Z of a solenoid m,so that when current is directed through the coils of the solenoid thebrake-levers will beseparated, releasing the contact arm 1. Thearrangement of brake represented in Fig. 2 is substantially the same, asingle brake-lever being indicated, and it will be obvious that anyconvenient arrangement of the brake can be substituted.

Current is directed through the solenoid 2? or the solenoid m from anysuitable source of electromotive force. As indicated in Fig. 2,

the current may be taken from the main circuit as follows: The operatorscontrollingswitch at, located at any convenient point more or lessremote from the devices represented in Fig. 1, is connected by aconductor 0, in which is included the brake-solenoid m, with one leg ofthe main circuit. One contact p for the switch is connected directlywith the other leg of the main circuit by a conductor q, so that by themovement of the switch to such contact current will be sent through thebrake-solenoid m alone, and the brake will thereby be released. Theother contact 7* is connected by a conductor .9, in which is includedthe solenoid 1', with the second leg of the main circuit. Movement ofthe switch to the contact 7" will therefore send the current throughboth solenoid on, releasing the brake, and solenoid t', raising thecontact-arm g, as long as the switch is held on the contact r or untilsuch arm reaches the limit of its upward movement. A circuitbreakingswitch t may be included in the conductor s and arranged to be opened bya pin 15, carried by the contactarm g, as the latter reaches the limitof its upward movement, thereby breaking the circuit automatically andkeeping it open as long as the contactarm remains in such elevatedposition.

The mode of operation of the improved controller will now be readilyunderstood. Movement of the switch it to the contact 1" releases thebrake through the action of the solenoid m and causes the solenoid i toraise the contact-arm g as long as the switch remains on the contact 0'or until the contactarm reaches the limit of its upward movement, thusdecreasing in the arrangement shown the amount of resistance which isincluded in the main circuit. As soon as the desired condition of themain' circuit is established the switch n is moved back to anintermediate position, as shown in Fig. 2, opening the circuit throughthe solenoids i and m, and thereby stopping the further movement of thecontact-arm and permitting the spring or springs to apply the brake andhold the contact-arm in the position to which it has been moved. If itis desired, in the arrangement shown, to increase the resistanceincluded in the main circuit, the switch is shifted to the contact 19,thereby sending the current through the solenoid m alone and releasingthe brake, so that the contact-arm is free to fall until it reaches thelimit of its downward movement or until such time as the switch is movedto an intermediate position, thereby permitting the spring or springs 7ato apply the brake again and to check the downward movement of thecontact-arm at a desired point.

It will be understood that the invention is not intended to be limitedin its application to the control of a motor circuit nor to be restricted to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown anddescribed herein, since many variations thereof will readily suggestthemselves as the necessities of each particular case presentthemselves.

I claim as my invention 1. An electric-circuit controller comprising amovable circuit-controlling contact,an electromechanical device to movethe same, a brake to cooperate with said contact, an electromechanicaldevice to operate said brake, a switch included with the last-namedelectromechanical device in one leg of an electric circuit, a contactfor said switch connected directly to the other leg of said circuit, anda second contact for said switch connected to the second leg of saidcircuit through the firstnamed electromechanical device, substantiallyas shown and described.

2. An electric-circuit controller comprising a movablecircuit-controlling contact, a solenoid having its core connected tosaid contact to move the same in one direction, a brake to cooperatewith said movable contact, a second solenoid having its core operativelyconhect ed with said brake, an electric switch and connections therefromto said solenoids whereby their electrical condition may be controlledby the movement of said switch, substantially as shown and described.

3. An electric-circuit controller comprising a circuit-controlling arm,a solenoid having its core connected to said arm to move the same in onedirection, a brake to cooperate with said arm, a second solenoid havingits core operatively connected with said brake, an electric switch andconnections therefrom to said solenoids whereby their electricalcondition may be controlled by the movement of said switch,substantially as shown and de= scribed.

4. An electric-circuit controller comprising a circuit-controlling armmovable in a vertical plane, a solenoid having its core connected tosaid arm to lift the same, a brake to cooperate with. said arm and checkits downward movement, a second solenoid having its core operativelyconnected with said brake, an electric switch and connections therefromto said solenoids whereby their electrical condition may be controlledby the movement of said switch, substantially as shown and described.

5. An electric-circuit controller comprising a circuit-controlling armmovable in a verti cal plane, a solenoid having its core connected tosaid arm to lift the same, abrake to cooperate with said arm and checkits downward movement, a second solenoid having its core operativelyconnected with said brake, a spring acting in opposition to the solenoidto apply the brake, an electric switch and connections therefrom to saidsolenoids whereby their electrical condition may be controlled by themovement of said switch, substantially as shown and described.

6. An electric-circuit controller comprising a movablecircuit-controlling contact, a solenoid having its core operativelyconnected to said contact, a brake to cooperate with said movablecontact, a second solenoid having its core operatively connected withsaid brake,

a switch included with the second solenoid in This specification signedand witnessed this one leg of an electric circuit, a contact for 20thday of July, A. D. 1899. said switch connected directly to the other Tleg of said circuit and a second contact for 5 said switch connected tothe second leg of said In presence ofcircuit through the first-namedsolenoid, snb- LOUIS R. MOORE, stantially as shown and described. W. B.GREELEY.

